Black Oath were formed in 2006 by A. Th (vocals, bass, guitar) with the intention to perform obscure and dark heavy metal, inspired by the traditional masters like Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Celtic Frost and Venom. Being Italian, A. Th was also influenced by home grown acts such as Black Hole, Death SS, Paul Chain, Goblin and prog rock, too. Black Oath released various EPs, cassettes and are now ready to unleash their fourth album »Behold The Abysss« via High Roller Records. "It's our best album so far," comments A. Th. "We were very proud of »To Below And Beyond« and couldn't be sure to make a better album. But we did. It contains all our influences and the prog influences show more than ever before. It's like old Ozzy playing with Goblin/PFM."

Danish thrash metal veterans ARTILLERY will release their ninth studio album, "The Face Of Fear", on November 16 via Metal Blade. The follow-up to 2016's "Penalty By Perception" is ARTILLERY's third effort with the current lineup. ARTILLERY comments about the video for "The Face Of Fear": "Most of the scenes for the video were shot at Amager strand park right outside of Copenhagen. And the live scenes go back to when the band visited Japan and played at the Thrash Dominations together with EXODUS, VOIVOD and SANCTUARY. The video was shot by the band's good friend Terkel Christensen, who also did the video 'When The Magic is Gone', from the last album, 'Penalty By Perception'. The song is about dealing the end of man by himself. We create our own phobia about the destruction of the world, but remain disrespectful to the globe."

As most of us know, the death metal scene in the 90's, specifically the early 90's, was pretty amazing. There were plenty of classics to come out of it and it's often hard to put your finger on which one was the best. With that being said, Adramelech's debut album Psychostasia is without a doubt in the top 25 death metal albums ever made, making it yet another classic death metal album to come out of Finland…

Symphonic metal has a history of being grandiose to a fault. Nightwish, Epica, Xandria and a host of others have played their part in helping power metal's sister genre garner popularity. Subsequently, fans have come to expect music of a fast-paced, hard-hitting nature; ripe with choirs and even full-blown orchestras. Then we have Leah (McHenry). While her contemporaries fuel the more elaborate side of symphonic metal, Leah's approach is of a far more basic nature…

The 13th studio album of Kreator's enviable 30-year career, 2012's Phantom Antichrist is also the fourth long-player released since the group's triumphant rebirth to thrash in 2001 – a move that coincided almost perfectly with a worldwide genre revival driven by both veteran and rookie ensembles and that, as a result, saw these German survivors enjoying a long-deferred coronation for their almost unrivaled achievements. Now that trend – like all trends – has come and gone, and yet Kreator persist: still displaying, as the new material contained here bears repeated witness, 100 percent commitment to the original, metal-thrashing mad raison d'être that launched them in the first place…

There have been countless UFO live recordings issued over the years, with the best undoubtedly being 1979's classic Strangers in the Night. But certainly one of the more intriguing live UFO releases came in 2008 with the arrival of the four-disc set Live Throughout the Years. And what makes this set stand out from the oodles of other live UFO items is that it includes standout live performances from three different decades – 1976 (London), 1982 (London), and 1998 (Vienna)…

"Faunalia is Selvans sophomore album, where the band evolved and broadened their sound: their personal take on folk and black metal is now enriched by many unexpected Italian influences. This is why the band chose to define Faunalia “A Dark Italian Opus”: the use of progressive-oriented Hammond organs, synths and neofolk interludes is a heartfelt ode to the Italian musical tradition of the last four decades and more. Black metal mutates and changes and drifts away to reach the shores of orchestral, cinematic music, as Selvans developed long, unpredictable pieces like “Magna Mater, Maior Mons” having in mind both black metal and Ennio Morricone. Yet, the final outcome is surprisingly natural and consistent, something only great artists can obtain through far-fetched experimentation".

The music is massively heavy and steeped in the shocking misery of shattered bodies and pervasive death, and it’s also explosively violent, with searing riffs and soaring leads that, together with blazing drumwork and wrenching voices, raise visions of the horrible grandeur and mortifying terror of such man-made conflagrations as the battle to which these songs allude. It will really get your head moving, too - and I’m glad that 1914 have also continued to insert excerpts from period songs, as they do at their previous album

One of the legendary thrash bands of the '80s, Kreator is back in fine fashion with Violent Revolution. So strong is the album that it not only reclaims their previous glory, but even sets about to show a bit of one-upmanship on it. The album utilizes much of Kreator's earlier musical leanings while moving the group forward into a new age…

An often misunderstood and underrated album, 1986's Seventh Star was never intended to be a Black Sabbath release, as the band had effectively broken up following its disastrous 1984 tour in support of career low point Born Again. Instead, Seventh Star was conceived as guitarist Tony Iommi's first solo project, and it was only record company pressure that forced him to resurrect his longtime band's moniker at the last minute. With this in mind, one can better appreciate both the record's more blues-based, often un-Sabbath-like songwriting and the contributions made by journeyman singer Glenn Hughes (ex-Trapeze, Deep Purple, etc.), whose incredibly emotive and soulful vocal style was completely at odds with the deadpan delivery of Sabbath's most recognizable singer, Ozzy Osbourne (a discrepancy that would spell his quick exit when the necessary classics were wheeled out for the ensuing world tour).

Formed in Birmingham, UK in 1982, by Nik Bullen. Napalm Death were originally one of the bands that defined the UK hardcore thrash/punk sound of the mid-late 1980s, along with bands such as Extreme Noise Terror, Doom and Sore Throat. The band has gone through countless line-ups and many former members have gone on to become significant figures in a variety of musical scenes…

On the surface, Motörhead appear to be trying something new with Orgasmatron, bringing in producer Bill Laswell to put a slightly different slant on their signature sound. Laswell does beef up the mix with added sonic detail, which works to particularly good effect on the title track – the densely layered production helps transform the song and its simple riff into a chugging psychedelic noise-fest…